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“Where was it? Did you get anything from it?” Dom asked.
“It was in an abandoned lot in Berrytown. It had been stripped clean. However, there were a couple of cigarette butts found a few feet away. Could be nothing . . . might have been from someone else, but we’re doing DNA testing anyway. There’s something else, though. Gwen, did you ever meet a Clarke Gainsford? He worked at Delicious.”
“Wait . . . that name is familiar. Yes. I did. He worked there. A server. He served me!”
“Is that how he got your business card? It was found on him.”
“I gave it to him in case he wanted to talk to me about his boss. Why? What’s happened? What do you mean it was found on him?”
“He was found early this morning in a dumpster out back of Stan’s restaurant.”
“He’s dead? Oh God. Is it related to what happened to me?” Gwen asked.
“We don’t know. A witness came forward saying that they saw someone near the hotel the night you were taken. The description of the person matches Clarke Gainsford. You don’t remember speaking to him that night?”
“No. I can’t remember anything.” There was clear panic in her voice. “I don’t know. Oh God, was he killed because he spoke to me?” Her breath started to come in sharp pants.
“Hey, this is not your fault,” Dominic told her. “Understand me? Even if you were talking to him, you did not kill him.”
“I just can’t remember.”
“That’s okay. Xavier said not to think about it too much. You’re just going to give yourself a headache.” He massaged the back of her neck lightly. “Ed, she’s getting too upset.”
“Got it. I’m really sorry to upset you, Gwen. We’re going to find who did this. And Clarke’s murder might be entirely unrelated to you being kidnapped.”
But what were the odds of someone being kidnapped and another person murdered in the same small town within the space of forty-eight hours?
After ending the call, Dominic drew her onto his lap and just held her as she let out small whimpers of distress.
“I don’t like this, baby,” he whispered. “I hate seeing you like this.”
“My brain is so messed up. It’s like my body is so scared and my brain doesn’t know why. We don’t know who to be afraid of. It’s terrifying.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Do you want to talk to someone about it? Once you’re feeling better? Archer is a psychiatrist, and he lives here on Sanctuary with his brother, Doc, and Caley. Your favorite author.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t like talking to strangers.”
“We can talk about that later. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better? To take away some of your fears?”
“Just having you here is enough. And maybe being in Little headspace will help.” She said that so quietly he had to strain to hear her. “But is that just avoiding the issue? Maybe I shouldn’t . . . I should be stronger.”
“Hey, no. You’re one of the strongest people I know. You are coping so well with everything. No one expects you to immediately jump back. Feeling fear isn’t a weakness, baby. Don’t push your feelings aside, that’s only going to lead to problems later on.”
“You’re not wrong. I’ve suppressed so much over the years . . . sometimes it’s a wonder I can get out of bed. In fact, sometimes . . .”
“Sometimes what?” he asked quietly, not wanting to push her.
“Sometimes everything seemed so pointless and overwhelming that I wanted to just stay in bed. Pull the covers over my head and hide.”
“But I bet you didn’t.”
“No, that’s what they were all waiting for . . . for me to stumble and fail. It wasn’t a possibility for me. Someone younger, with more energy, was always there, waiting in the shadows to pounce.”
“At work?”
“Yeah. If I’d had a dick, it wouldn’t have been such a struggle. But unfortunately, I couldn’t grow the necessary appendage.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. Some people are total idiots.”
“I told you that I quit when I found out that my asshole boss had given my promotion to someone else, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, after I let my boss have it, I raced out of there.” She rubbed at her chest. “I hadn’t been feeling that great for a few weeks. I kept planning to go to the doctor, but something kept coming up.”
“What happened?”
“I collapsed. Right in front of the elevators. My vision had gone blurry and I was hot then cold. My heart was racing so fast I thought I was going to vomit.”
He tensed. “Heart attack?”
“That’s what I thought at the time. It’s what the paramedics thought too. It seemed all the stress, the sleepless nights, the bad eating, and little exercise was taking a toll on my body. When they ran some tests, they discovered I had really high blood pressure.”
